# 134: How to Sell Your Hardware Product B2B

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2022-07-27
- Length: 34m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-07-27-134-how-to-sell-your-hardware-product-b2b
- Listen: https://productstartup.com/

## Summary

Bill Dickinson, a B2B sales executive with 35 years of experience, advises hardware startups on building effective sales teams and scaling B2B sales. He emphasizes that hiring for interpersonal skills and relationship-building traits is more critical than product knowledge, and recommends a hybrid inside/outside sales structure. Dickinson outlines three distinct sales streams—straight sales, account management, and business development—and stresses the importance of relationship selling, detailed target lists, and activity-based management to move prospects through the funnel.

## Chapters

- [0:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-07-27-134-how-to-sell-your-hardware-product-b2b#t=44) Introduction: Bill Dickinson and B2B Sales Overview
- [3:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-07-27-134-how-to-sell-your-hardware-product-b2b#t=209) Product Quality vs. Service and Customer Experience
- [9:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-07-27-134-how-to-sell-your-hardware-product-b2b#t=563) Hiring Salespeople: Personality Over Product Knowledge
- [17:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-07-27-134-how-to-sell-your-hardware-product-b2b#t=1042) Cold Calling, Timing, and Targeted Market Lists
- [24:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-07-27-134-how-to-sell-your-hardware-product-b2b#t=1466) Relationship Selling and Building Credibility
- [28:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-07-27-134-how-to-sell-your-hardware-product-b2b#t=1707) Three Sales Streams: Straight, Account, and Business Development
- [31:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-07-27-134-how-to-sell-your-hardware-product-b2b#t=1916) Activity-Based Management and CRM Systems

## Topics

- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Mako Design + Invent (company)
- Bill Dickinson (other)
- Kevin Mako (other)
- Amazon (company)
- LinkedIn (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#053 - Which one to choose - b2b or b2c for hardware startups, with Balint Horvath, your host, Switzerland](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-04-25-053-which-one-to-choose-b2b-or-b2c-for-hardware-startups-with-balint-horvath-you) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [Timeless Sales Principals and Fundamentals w/ Mike Weinberg](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2021-04-13-timeless-sales-principals-and-fundamentals-w-mike-weinberg) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [S6E42 Ramzi Marjaba | From Idea to Approval: Persuasion for Engineers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-10-17-s6e42-ramzi-marjaba-from-idea-to-approval-persuasion-for-engineers) (Being an Engineer)
- [Surviving Conventional Wisdom](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-08-16-surviving-conventional-wisdom) (Oxide and Friends)
- [First Hire Series: Sales with Jake Huber](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2022-05-17-first-hire-series-sales-with-jake-huber) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-07-27-134-how-to-sell-your-hardware-product-b2b. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Product Startup.